Our Artist-in-Residence for the 2024–25 season, violinist Johan Dalene, chatted with First Violins Adriana Iacovache-Pana and Esther Kim at Cadogan Hall about their journeys with the instrument, the music that means the most to them, and how they approach playing concertos from their different perspectives as soloists and orchestral players.
This month saw the Orchestra go on a whistle-stop tour to Germany and Austria, stopping off in Vienna, Hamburg, Hannover, Cologne, Dusseldorf, Munich, Stuttgart, Mannheim, Freiburg and Frankfurt to a warm welcome from packed audiences. Music Director Vasily Petrenko conducted performances with star violinist Julia Fischer.
On Sunday 26 January we opened our flagship 2025 season with Music Director Vasily Petrenko, Lights in the Dark, to a packed Royal Festival Hall in London's Southbank Centre. Featuring Stravisnky's The Rite of Spring, Berg's Three Pieces for Orchestra and Beethoven's Piano Concerto No.5, the theme of the evening was music that pushed at the boundries of established conventions, hailing new and rapidly-changing eras in both music and society. Lights in the Dark at Southbank Centre and the Royal Albert Hall highlights music composed during dark times, be it turbulent historical events or personal struggles suffered by composers.
We were grateful to Boris Giltburg for stepping in to replace Paul Lewis and perform Beethoven with very short notice.
Read on to view more photos and reactions from the day.
On Saturday 18 January we performed two unique concerts at Brent Civic Centre in Wembley Park, a Relaxed Performance in the afternoon and the first full performance of The Goddess of Swan Lake, an interpretation of Tchaikovsky's classic ballet with Indian Kathak dance, created in collaboration with the Sujata Banerjee Dance Company. It was a wonderful day and we were pleased to welcome audiences of all ages and backgrounds to the sell-out performances.
